Location QuotientLocation quotient measures the concentration of a region’s local jobs compared to the national average. For instance, a location quotient of 1.50 indicates that the region’s concentration of jobs is 50% higher than the national average.

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)A metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a region defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to represent contiguous geographic areas with a relatively high density of the human population. They are defined by having a centralized urban area (usually a city or county) with a minimum of 50,000 people.